


Extreme Measures

by LArtoriusCastius (Willibonvonnothing)



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Cycle of Abuse, Gen, Hades is an Asshole but he's not Evil, Hades's A+ Parenting (Hades Video Game), He also has legitimate grievances against Olympus, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Stream of Consciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29870694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willibonvonnothing/pseuds/LArtoriusCastius
Summary: Hades thoughts before his first battle with Zagreus, and before his first loss.
Relationships: Hades and Zagreus
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	Extreme Measures

**H-0, Z-0**

_Perhaps,_ Hades mused as he watched the gentle ripples of the pond, the chill of winter an unpleasant reminder of the past. _This is all the Fates see for us. A path, of parent creating child, then child destroying their sire. An endless circle of blood and darkness as one killed the other. On and on until all returns to Chaos._

Achilles had taught the boy his trade. Worked him like a proper blade, beating and sharpening his witless son until he could stand against the heroes of Elysium. He wondered if such a feat was a testament to the boy's skill as a warrior, or Achilles's as a teacher. He would test the boy himself and determine the answer then. He had little doubt the boy would pass Cerberus. His trusted guard dog was simply the last in a long line of traitors. At least Cerberus had to be bribed to betrayal.

He never thought he'd see the day where Hypnos proved himself to be the most loyal of his house. The most responsible.

Nyx, whose darkness rekindled life in the boy all those years ago. Whose darkness now shone in the boys eyes, a reflection of his newly gained strength. The first traitor, the one who should best know what was at stake, what was now in danger due to the boy's recklessness.

Charon, the ever diligent ferryman. Who carried his family's poison to the boy, letting him draw upon their power to further fuel the delusion that the Underworld could be escaped. That they had the boys best intentions at heart. That the boy was anything more to Olympus than a passing novelty, a new toy to entertain them until they grew bored.

Thanatos, who thought himself so clever. That slipping away from his duties to aid the boy, and rewarding his delinquencies would go unseen.

Megaera had the decency to try and prevent the boy's foolishness. Her failure to stop him after the first few bouts was an irritation , but the effort did not go unnoticed. It was more than most were doing.

Which led him to the present. The boy with his mismatched eyes, living and dead, with a weak smile on his face, the faint crackle of lightning at his fingertips and blood at his feet. Whatever trials the boy had surpassed to reach the surface had taken their toll on him. His grip on his bow is too loose, as if struggling to hold onto it, as if the weight is too much to carry.

The boy knows nothing of responsibility, no matter how much he has tried to teach him.

A disgusting task lays before him, one that many would shirk away from.

The boy speaks, and he responds in kind.

He did not falter when he stood in Zagreus's place. He will not falter now.

**H-37, Z-0**

_It is amazing how patricide could bring together a family,_ Hades mused as Demeter's chill nipped at his cloak. The forest was quiet, it's residents scattered and the air still. His family hadn't shown such a unity of purpose in eons, too busy with their petty squabbles with each other to draw him and his into the endless cycle of jealousy and spite that festers on Olympus.

He isn't surprised such a momentous occasion is for the purpose of spiting him.

His son is young, spoiled and arrogant. He had a mother that loved him with all his heart, enough toys to build armies with, friends and teachers that cared for him to the point of disobedience. He had been allowed a childhood, surrounded by people who loved him, and the brat decides to spit on it. Nyx may not have carried the boy in her womb, but she loved the boy with all her heart. Achilles, who would even in death still tries to defy fate for love. Hypnos loved the boy with the playfulness of a brother, while Thanatos and Megaera simply loved him.

Gigaros is a familiar weight in his hands as he waits for the boy to finish his venture through the temple, yet it offers no comfort. Not that he expects it to, not that he deserves it. This is not a task he will enjoy, is not a task he has enjoyed, but it is one that must be done. The boy risks too much. The boy is too young, too reckless, too brash. It is not just his safety Hades worries for, where a few careless words from his inept son can bring forth a war not seen since the Titans walked the world.

It is the entire underworlds. Every shade, every god, every monster that resides in that cursed pit is his. To protect, to oversee, or to punish. Nyx, Thanatos, Charon, Achilles, Megaera, Chaos even Cerberus. Traitors, though they all be for aiding the boy in this foolish venture are still his subjects, still his companions, and do not deserve the wrath of Olympus. If only they were more familiar with his family's poison.

It is a threat to Persephone herself, and though she may not love him, _~~may never have~~_ , they are still husband and wife, he still made his vows to protect her. Even from her family, be it her mother, uncle or son.

He wonders if it'd be different if they had to look in the eyes of every shade that graced his halls. To hear every soldier lament about their lives cut short by some foolish war, to see the tears of every heartbroken lover, every drowned sailor caught in a sudden storm, every starving face from a failed crop, or skin gone blue from the relentless cold. To see the rage and jealousy of every evil in the eyes of man and women that raged about how every cruelty done to them was a grave injustice, and find it mirrored in the memories by his kin. To know how much responsibility rests on his shoulders, and to see, to know how fickle and careless his family is with the mortals they are supposed to rule. Like reckless children with toys, smashing them together and throwing them around as they play their games until they are broken and sent to him. He does not have that luxury. His shades do not pass on. They are his for all time, until everything returns to Chaos.

There is a ripple in the pond before him, a fish, either uncaring, or unaware of his presence. It breaks Hades from his thoughts, just in time to hear the doors to the temple close shut. _Such thoughts are irrelevant,_ Hades thinks to himself as he turns to look at his son, sword firm in hand among the falling snow. He looks hale and healthy, the strong smell of wine on the cold air. It is a better start than his previous attempts at this duel.

It will not matter, as the boy stops before him, that stubborn cast to Zagreus's face a mirror of his own. The boy may hate him, but they are cut from the same cloth. The boy will never admit it, but he is his father's son. _If only the boy would apply himself so rigorously to actual, productive work, he would excel._

But that is not what the Fates had decreed, that is not the choice his young, foolish son has made.

If Hades can say anything with certainty, it is this.

So long as Zagreus persists in his foolishness, he will be there to meet him.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, Super Giant, knocking it out of the park as always. But yeah, this one was inspired by me noticing a trend of fics that made Hades straight up evil, taking away some of the nuisance, and idk, wasn't a fan. I'm probably going to be kicking a hornets nest with this fic, but meh. Is Hades a massive asshole? 100%, But does he also have a lot of legitimate concerns and grievances about Olympus? Absolutely. Idk, I just kinda wanted to touch upon a few things, Hades complete lack of chill, his concerns about Zag letting the secret out, and skimming the surface of what might be going through his head moments before he fights Zag to be more interesting. Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and have a nice day.


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